Island



PATENTBD FEB. 9, 1904.

F. J. WATERS. ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7. 1903.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H0 MODEL.

/N\/ENTD 7M4 i Wm m n kw {N RR IIIIIII my QR wm & Q Q d Q a N 4 J T X M r w I R I r w V/A/ 7////M Q. I WW/ 3 QN MT: 9 &w NV s NJ? I l \w m w L M TA/EESES,

No. 751,584. PATENTED FEB. 9, 1904. F. J. WATERS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7. 1903. N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1 I i ill". 5

1 3 T 1 .g\ i N T //v vEA/raR,

PATENTBD FEB. 9, 1904.

P. J. WATERS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7, 1903.

rml Ill: I a. k a ak 0T s R m 1% m m5 @\h HTWIL Lu, 8 w HzL xv my 3 mm IQ R i%... J. x m L 1 I w\m\ 3w 2 L 6 H xv kw w m| N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented February 9, 1904.

PATENT OEEIcE.

FRANK J. IVATERS, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR OF TWVO- THIRDS TO I/VILLIS A. DREWV, FRANK E. FARNHAM, ARTHUR O. FARN- HAM, AND ALFRED HARRISON, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, JAMES GEE, OF ORANSTON, RHODE ISLAND, AND HENRY J. PAGE, OF WAR- IYIOK, RHODE ISLAND.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 751,584, dated February 9, 1904,

Application filed November 7, 1903- Serial No. 180,210. (No model.)

To a, whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK J. VVATEns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Steam-Engines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Like numerals indicate like parts.

Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of a steam rotary engine provided with my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same as seen on line a a of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the bottom of the cylinder and of the keeper constituting a part of my invention as seen on line 7) 6 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of said keeper. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 6 is a central longitudinal section of one of the detachable sides of the piston-hub constituting a part of my invention. Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the same as seen on line 0 c of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 9 is a vertical longitudinal section of the piston-hub and shaft. Fig. 10 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 11 is a sectional view of the same seen on line (Z (Z of Fig. 9. Fig. 12 is a perspective view of one of the slotted pieces or bearings used in connection with the pistonhub. Fig. 13 is a perspective view of one of the shoes in position and the adjacent portion of the piston-hub. Fig. 14c is acentral longitudinal section of said shoe. Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a piston or packing used in connection with said shoe. Fig. 16 is a sectional view of the piston-hub and expansionpiston blades as seen on line a e of Fig. 17. Fig. 17 is an end elevation of the expansionpiston blades with the packing-bars on the outer ends thereof. Fig. 18 is a top plan of one of said packing-bars. Fig. 19 is a sectional view as seen on line ff of Fig. 16. Fig. 20 is an enlarged view of said packingbar and adjacent parts as, seen on line g g of Fig. 18. Fig. 21 is a sectional view as seen on line h h of Fig. 20. Fig. 22 is an end elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 21.

My invention relates to steam rotary engines, and especially to the piston and pistonhub thereof and to the keeper in the bottom of the cylinder with which said piston and piston-hub (being mounted eccentrically in said cylinder) are in contact.

My invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts hereinafter described, and specifically set forth in the claims.

My invention is an improvement on certain portions of the steam rotary engine described in Letters Patent of the United States, No. 7 33,77 7 granted to me,and dated July 14, 1903. I will here very briefly describe such parts of said rotary engine as are related to the piston, piston-hub, cylinder, and keeper which constitute my present invention.

In the drawings 1 represents the base, and 2 the steam-chest. The chest 2 is divided into two compartments by a partition 3. The steam-inlet pipe is shown at 1 and the steam outlet or exhaust pipe is shown at 5.

The steam-chest 2 is covered by the table or plate 6, having the ports 7 and 8. The cylinder 9 has a base 10 with flanges 11. Bolts 12 pass through the flanges 11 and also through the flanges 13 of the plate 6. The cylinder 9 has the heads 14 15. Each cylinder-head has the integral concentric tube or sleeve 16 and the circular flange 17. A stuffiing-box 18 is fastened to the flange 17 by bolts 19. The main shaft 20 extends through the cylinder 9 eccentrically, as shown, and the fly-wheel 21 is mounted on said shaft. A gland 22, bolted to the stuffing-box 18, compresses a packing 23 in the well-known manner.

In the base 10 of the cylinder 9 are the ports 24: 25, which are continuous with the ports 7 and 8, respectively. The ports 24 25 have branch ports 26, and in the upper portion of said ports 24 25 and in the branches 26 thereof is the keeper 27.

LII

The keeper 27 has a series of integral arms 28 on opposite sides thereof. The arms 28 taper outwardly on their sides so as to extend loosely into the branch ports 26, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, and said arms are slightly curved, as seen in Figs. 2 and 4. The branch ports 26 are considerably wider than the arms 28, and so there is a sufficient steam-space around said arms respectively. The two central branch ports, as seen in Fig. 3, are much longer than the arms 28 which extend in them respectively,and said two central branch ports extend, as seen in. Fig. 2, up to the horizontal diameter of the piston-hub. The lower portion of the keeper 27 is a rib, having straight parallel sides and a longitudinal channel or groove in the bottom. In this longitudinal groove are loosely mounted the two bars 29, rectangular in cross-section, each of which has a central longitudinal socket in its inner end. A spiral spring in the said sockets of these two bars serves to keep them normally apart. At the outer end of each of said bars 29 is an upward projection 30 shutting over the outer adjacent end of the keeper 27 in grooves of the latter, as seen in Figs. 3 and 5. The radius of the curvature of the upper surface of the arms 28 is greater than the radius of the curvature of the interior surface der 9 is concaved longitudinally at and near.

7 the intersection of the branch ports 26.

Integral with the main shaft 20 at the center thereof is an enlargement which constitutes the piston-hub, and the same is shown at 32 in Figs. 9 and 10. It has two annular flanges 33, leaving an annular groove 34 at each end of the hub. The two opposite edges of the piston-hub 32 are convex and of the same curvature and concentric with the annular groove 34 and the main shaft 20, as illustrated in Fig. 10. At the bottom of each annular channel 34 is a passage or port 35.

On opposite sides of the piston-huh are two longitudinal ribs 36 37, as seen in Figs. 9, 10, and 11. Each of these ribs has a longitudinal bore through it, as seen at 38 and 39, and also has a transverse circular aperture through each side thereof. (Shown in Fig. 9.) In these two circular apertures are mounted circular packings or pistons 40. Each rib 36 37 has a screw-threaded circular aperture through it transversely for the reception of a circular screw-threaded plug 41. This piston-hub 32 has an oblong rectangular aperture 42, as seen threaded stem 46, on the end of which is en gaged the check-nut 47.

In Figs. 6, 7, and 8 is shown a side piece 48, having the flanges 49, plane adjacent surfaces 50, and a central longitudinal groove 51. The side piece 48 has in it countersunk holes 52, and screws pass through said holes into screwholes tapped therefor in the ribs 36 37. There are two of these side pieces 48, which are put on the opposite plane sides of the piston-hub 32. These side pieces 48 are convex on their outer surfaces and the'curvatures are of the same radius as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 11. I

A circular boss 53 on each side of the hub 32 surrounds the plug or disk 41, which is screwed into a central aperture of said boss 53. The position of said bosses 53 is indicated in Fig. 9 by dotted lines.

In the side pieces 48 are the longitudinal bores 54, which when the side pieces are secured to the hub 32 are continuous with the bores 38 39 thereof, respectively.

The piston-case 55, Figs. 19, 20, 21, is slidably mounted in the aperture 42 of the pistonhub. Its parts are thus described: It hason each edge the parallel flanges 56 and is made with two straight apertures or ways 57, rectangular crosswise, as seen in Fig. 19. It also has a central partition 58 between said apertures 57, and the same is provided with crossshaped steam passage-ways 59. On each side of the piston-case and between the flanges 56 56 thereof a cylindrical stud or projection 60 extends outwardly at a right angle, as seen in Figs. 16, 17, and 19. The ends of the studs or projections 60 enter into the slots of the pieces 44 on each side, as seen in Fig. 1, which slotted pieces 44 serve as bearings for said studs 60.

There are two piston-blades 61, the outer 7 end of which projects between the parallel flanges 62 of the piston-case 55, Fig. 21. Each piston-blade 61 has two parallel projections 63, Fig. 20, rectangular in cross-section and other part with a tongue 65, Fig. 18, loosely fitting in said mortise. These packing-bars have longitudinal sockets in their adjacent ends, in which a spiral spring 66 is mounted. At the outer end of each packing-bar it has a groove or channel 67 in the are of a circle. Two side packing-plates 68 form the side edges of the piston comprising these several parts. They each have a central transverse aperture 69, through which the studs 60 project, as seen in Fig. 16, and they each have at both ends a concentric annular flange and a concentric annular groove, by which they engage with the concentric annular groove and concentric annular flange, respectively, at the ends of the packing-bars 64, as illustrated in Fig. 20. Springs have their in ner ends secured in the piston-blades 61 and their bent outer ends freely press against the inner surfaces of the side packing-plates 68, as seen in Fig. 16.

Across the inner surfaces of'the piston-hub 32, just above the circular packings 40, are the slotted shoes 71, and against these shoes the piston-case 55 slides. As seen in Fig. 2, there are four packing bars or strips 72, of which two are on each side of the piston-case 55 and bear against the same. There are two of said packing bars or strips 72 at each end of the piston-hub 32. Said packing bars or strips 72 are pressed by bow-springs, as indicated (but not numbered) in Fig. 2, which are inserted in the spaces between said bars or strips 7 2 and the inner surfaces of the side pieces 48, respectively. These packing bars or strips have a steam-tight contact with the piston-case 55, which slides between them.

From the inlet-pipe 4 are branch pipes 7 4 7 5, which are connected, respectively, by the elbows 7 6 77 with the pipes 7 8 7 9. The flange of the stufling-box 18 is radially bored, as seen in Fig. 1, for the passage of the pipe 7 8 (or 79). The pipe 7 8 enters at its upper end into a radial bore in the flange of a collar 80. The steam is discharged from the upper end of the pipe 7 8 into an annular space, plainly shown (but not numbered) in Fig. 1, between said collar and the main shaft 20, and thence flows into a contiguous annular passage between a port-sleeve 81, and thence through two steam passages (seen in Fig. 1) in the piston-hub side pieces, and thence through the ports 35 and the ports registering therewith in the side pieces 48, thence through the bores 54 of the side pieces 48, thence through the bores 38 39 in the ribs 36 3'7, thence through the circular packings 40, thence into the space between the inner ends of the piston-blades 61 61, and so spread said piston-blades apart. In like manner the pipe 79 on the opposite end of the engine conducts steam between the inner ends of the pistonblades, as seen in Fig. 1.

Having thus described the several parts of my invention, I will now explain its operation.

The steam is admitted at boiler-pressure through the pipe 4 into the steam-chest 2 and thence passes through the ports 7 and 24 and the branch ports 26 into the cylinder 9 and rotates the piston therein. The steam in passing into the cylinder 9, as just stated, is prevented from passing to the right by the keeper 2'7, as seen in Fig. 2, because said keeper is forced up into contact with the piston-hub 37 38 48 48 by means of the spring 31 beneath the keeper. Therefore the steam, having passed through the port 24, moves, as indicated by the arrow 7 3 in Fig. 2, and impinges against that one of the packingplates 68 (seen in Fig. 2) in the lower lefthand portion of the cylinder, and so causes the piston-hub 32 and the main shaft 20, with which it is integral, to move in the direction indicated by the arrow 0 in Fig. 2. As the steam passes between the inner ends of the piston-blades 61 61 it causes said blades to press their respective packing-bars 64 64 outwardly against the inner surface of the cylinder 9 and as the transverse convex curvature of the packing 64 64 is such as to exactly fit the transverse concave curvature of the cylinder it is seenthat said packing-bars oscillate in the longitudinal concave seats made for them in the outer edge of the piston-blades 61 61. These packing-bars 64 are of a suflicient width to exceed the width of the entrance of the exhaust-port, as seen in Fig. 2. As soon as the exhaust-port has been uncovered by the passage of the packing-bar 64 to a position beneath it and as long as said exhaust-port remains so uncovered the exhauststeam passes into and through said exhaustport into the port 8 of the plate 6 and thence through the chamber 2 and outlet-pipe 5 into the outer air. The steam leaves the cylinder through the interstices between the arms 28 of the keeper 27. In Fig. 4 it is seen that the curvature of the upper surface of the arms 28 of the keeper 27 is on a larger radius than that of the curvature of the cylinder 9, (represented in said figure by dotted lines.) The result of this construction is that said keeper and its arms are out of the way of the rapidly-rotating piston, and the piston thus does not encounter any obstruction at that place, and consequently there is no noise. The spiral springs 66, Fig. 20, cause the longitudinal spreading apart of the packing-bars 64 to prevent the steam from passing by the ends of the piston-blades. The circular packings 40, Figs. 9, 11, press the shoes 71 against the piston-case 55. The spiral spring between the bars 29 of the keeper, Fig. 5, serves to prevent leakage of steam between the ends of the keeper and the cylinder. The springs 70, Fig. 16, are for the purpose of keeping the side packing-plates 68 in steam-tight contact with the ends of the cylinder. The oscillation of the packing-bars 64 and the fact that their edge has a curvature exactly fitting the curvature of the inner surface of the cylinder 9 enable them to maintain a steam contact with the inner surface of the cylinder in whatever position they may be in said cylinder, as is apparent by an examination of Fig. 2.

It is evident that in this engine there is no dead-center and that the steam-pressure is always applied to the piston at a right angle and that there is no variation in the angle of steam-pressure on the piston. For these reasons this engine is especially useful for and adapted to the propulsion of automobile vehicles and steam-launches, while for millwork or similar uses it is equally useful and may be compounded merely by duplication and applying the power of several engines to the same main shaft.

I claim as a novel and useful invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a steam-engine, the combination of a tubular cylinder having an inlet-port and an outlet-port and also having a base provided with a longitudinal groove, a bow-spring in the bottom of said groove, a packing-bar resting on said spring, a keeper having a rib with a groove therein in which said packing-bar is received, and a rotatable piston having reciprocating piston-blades mounted therein, whose outer edges are in contact with the upper surface of said keeper when passing the same, substantially as described.

2. In a steam-engine, the combination of a cylinder, a rotatable piston of less diameter than said cylinder and mounted therein eccentrically thereto, a base constituting a part of said cylinder provided with a longitudinal groove and with an inlet-port and with a series of branch ports communicating with said inlet-port and a keeper having a longitudinal rib adapted to fit loosely in said longitudinal groove and also having a series of arms projecting laterally therefrom into said branch ports, which keeper and the lateral arms thereof are concaved on their upper surfaces with a curvature of a radius greater than the radius of the curvature of said cylinder, substantially as specified.

3. In a steam-engine, the combination of a cylinder, a rotatable piston of less diameter than said cylinder and mounted therein eccentrically thereto, a base constituting a part of said cylinder provided with a longitudinal groove and with an inlet-port and with a series of branch ports communicating with said inlet-port, a keeper having a longitudinal rib grooved in its lower side and adapted to fit loosely in said longitudinal groove and also having a series of arms projecting laterally into said branch ports, which keeper and the lateral arms thereof are concaved on their upper surface with a curvature whose radius is greater than the radius of the curvature of said cylinder, a packing-bar mounted in the groove of the rib of the keeper made in two parts, a spring adapted to spread said parts lengthwise, and a spring in the first-named groove adapted to press said bar upwardly, substantially as described.

t. In a rotary steam-engine, the combination of a tubular cylinder having a base provided with inlet and outlet ports, branch ports opening laterally out of the first-mentioned ports, a keeper located in said base between the said inlet and outlet ports and having lateral arms extending into said branch ports respectively, substantially as described.

5. In a rotary steam-engine, the combination of a tubular cylinder having a base provided with inlet and outlet ports, a main shaft rotatably mounted in said cylinder but eccentrically thereto, a piston-hub upon said shaft, piston-blades slidably mounted in said pistonhub, branch ports opening laterally out of said inlet and outlet ports of which branch ports some extend up to a line in continuation of the horizontal diameter of said shaft and hub, a keeper located in said base between the said inlet and outlet ports and provided with lateral arms which extend into the branch ports respectively, substantially as specified.

6. In a steam-engine, the combination of a tubular cylinder, a main shaft extending through said cylinder but mounted eccentrically therein, a piston-hub constituting a part of said main shaft and provided with a central rectangular aperture and with two longitudinal bores and with two transverse circular apertures, a piston-case slidably mounted in the rectangular apertureof the piston-hub,

two piston -blades mounted slidably in said piston-case and provided with packing-bars on their outer-edges which bars are adapted to contact with the inner surface of said cylinder, two circular pistons mounted in the transverse circular apertures of the piston-hub and communicating with the longitudinal bores thereof respectively, two slotted bearingplates or shoes inserted between said pistonhub and piston-case and adapted to be pressed against the latter by steam passing through said circular pistons respectively, a partition in said piston-case having steam-passages arranged to receive steam from said circular pistons and to conduct the same to the space be tween the inner ends of said piston-blades, a steam-pipe connected with a steam-supply, a stuffing box having a radial bore through which said steam-pipe passes, a collar surrounding the main shaft and having a radial bore into which the end of said steam-pipe is inserted and also having a concentric annular steam-space, a port-sleeve adjacent to said collar and having a concentric annular steamspace continuous with the annular steam-space of said collar and also having two steam-pas- IO and arranged to conduct steam from a source of supply to the interior of the piston-case between the inner ends of the piston-blades, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK J. WATERS.

Witnesses:

HOWARD A. LAMPREY, VVARREN R. PERGE. 

